7 Reasons Dogs Are Great For Your Health

Posted by Lexi
on
November 17, 2015

My Hooman came across this article touting the top reasons that us Puppers are great for their health and well after reading it she couldn't agree more! I have added so much to my Mommas life and each of these reasons are so very true! One thing is for sure we have met some amazing peeps at the park and if it wasn't for me and the fact that we go out and play all the time she would not have the great friendships and relationships she has now… Yep I did that! :)

1) Mood

Playing with your dog is great exercise, and can actually increase
your natural dopamine levels. Dopamine is an important mood regulating
neurotransmitter, and is associated with pleasure and feeling relaxed.
If you’ve had a particularly bad day at work, or if you’re worried about
things in your personal life, then taking an hour out to play with your
dog will leave you feeling much more relaxed!

Whenever you’re feeling more relaxed, you can bet that your dog will
be too. Dogs experience dopamine in the same way as us, and so spending
time with each other can be mutually beneficial.

2) Health

Dogs can be used to help the sick in a number of different ways.
Owning a dog has been associated with lower blood pressure, and less
cardiovascular events. These health benefits are in part due to the fact
that you’re guaranteed regular exercise with a dog, as it needs to go
on walks and to play outside.

Dogs are also great companions to ill children, and have been used in
this way for a while in modern medicine. Dogs can boost mood and
improve health outcomes, all by just being themselves and playing as
normal. Most dogs can recognise when a person is ill or eve under the
weather, and so will be more gentle, ensuring you don’t end up feeling
worse!

3) Exercise

Having a dog ensures that you get out of the house at least twice a
day (unless you want to tread carefully in the garden!). Dog owners
generally walk around an hour more a day, than those without a dog. If
you’re walking a dog, it’s likely that you’re being more active than
just walking around town, as most dogs insist on some level of play.

Even if you just play fetch for 15 minutes in the middle of a dog
walk, you’re using muscles that you wouldn’t be in day-to-day life. This
is great for your health as you utilise underused joints, and help to
prevent inflammatory conditions such as arthritis.

4) Social Life

Anyone that has walked a dog will know that it’s impossible to avoid
people saying a pleasant ‘hello’. This is one of the great benefits of
dog walking, as you will get to meet people that you’d otherwise never
have a reason to talk to. People from all walks of life have dogs, and
at the local dog park you’ll see people in their teens asking people in
their 50s what breed of dog they’re walking.

It’s been reported that dog owners are 40% better at making friend
than those without a dog. Having a dog makes you get out the house, from
walks, to pet shops or even the vet. There is a slight downside to this
– you’ll have to get used to speaking to people in the early hours of
Sunday mornings, when you’d much rather be wrapped in a duvet!

5) Stress Relief

Dogs can sense when their owners are stressed, and can help to relieve
that stress by just being there. One study found that when couples were
allowed to see their dog before completing a stressful task, they
achieved better scores than without seeing the dog. Dogs help people to
relax, and this is the reason why they’re such good stress relievers.
Whether it’s getting outside and clearing your head on a dog walk, or
just cuddling your dog on the sofa, it’s undoubtable that having a dog
will lower the amount of stress in your life!

6) Stronger Immune System

Children that grow up in a house with a dog generally experience lower
rates of asthma, eczema, and other inflammatory conditions. This is
thought to be because dogs can be quite dirty – they play in the mud,
lick themselves, and don’t shower every morning – and so being exposed
to them helps to strengthen a child’s immune system. If your grandmother
ever told you that you have to ‘eat a speck of dirt before you die’,
she wasn’t wrong, and having a dog is a great way to expose your immune
system to a range of beneficial environmental factors.

7) Become a Better Person

Spending time with a dog makes you a better person. It’s your
responsibility to care for them, ensure they’re played with, and to make
sure they’re always happy. It’s this responsibility that carries over
to other aspects of your life, and will help you to become more
organised, more efficient, and generally less stressed by day-to-day
life. It’s difficult to be a selfish person when you have a dog, and
your friends will recognise this (especially when you have to leave a
party early to let the dog out!).